Process of making engravers&#39; plates for reproducing photographs in colors in newspapers



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GLARENCE B. BLETHEN, 0F SEATTLE, WASHINGTON.

PROCESS OF MAKING ENGRAVERS PLATES FOR REPRODUCING PHOTOGRAPHS IN COLORS IN I'IEWSPAPERS.

No Drawing.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, CLAnnNon B. BLETHEN, citizen of the United i itates, residing at Seattle, in the county of King and State 01'? vVashington, have invented a certain new and useful Process of lilaking Engravers Plates for Reproducing Photographs in Colors in Newspapers, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to the art of reproducing photographs in colors in newspapers or the like.

Heretoitore, several methods of reproducing photographs in colors have been employed. by newspapers, such as the three color process and the process of applying the Ben Day machine to a half-tone. objection to the three color process is the length of time involved in its execution--it being necessary to develop a negative for each color. Moreover, such process is ob iectionable since it is not adapted to be used where the original subject is in plain black and white. For such three color process, the original subject must be in colors. The objection to the second mentioned process is that it also requires a long time and this on the part of an ar ist oi. considerable ability and skill to manipulate the device commonly known as the Ben Day machine, in pr0ducing the various tints. Moreover, in using the Ben Day machine it is very difficult to maintain the same tone of the original, that is to maintain the relative shading effects, and quite impossible to cause the light portions to pass so gradually into the darker portions that the change is scarcely discern ible as is the case in the original photoa p Further, a very serious diificulty is en countered in manipulating the half tone in conjunction with the Ben Day device. in that disagreeable pattern effects result when the lines of the pattern of the Ben Day machine are superimposed. upon the screenlines ot the halI"t0ne. As a matter of printing, r finement in tints and color values is very di'llicult of attainment if not impossible with the Ben Day device, for the reason that the pattern dots repel black ink but take the orange very well. A :t'urther condition to be satisfied in newspaper work is that exact registering is quite impossible since the The paper, in being pulled through and over Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented J an. a, 1921.

Application filed October 24, 1919. $eria1 No. 333,068.

a great number of rolle and the numerous parts of the large complex printing presses of today, is under a severe tension and this tension is considerably increased by the great speed of the modern press, I

The prime consideration in any color reproducing process designed for newspaper purposes is that of speed. Last minute changes in plans of the makeup of the columns compelled by the breaking of a new story often renders it imperative for a new picture to be prepared with the utmost speed. Hence, the advantage is strikingly manifest of any coloring process which only involves the development of one negative and eliminates the use of devices such as the Ben Day machine. For example, by my process, from one negative I make a black or key plate and an orange color plate, and by printing from these two plates I pro duce flesh tints and a great variety of colors from deep brown, almost black, to light brown,a result which, on account oi its speed and simplicity renders possible the producing of high-class art work in the daily newspaper on comparatively short notice.

One of the primary objects of my inven tion is to provide a process method for the reproduction of photographs in colors peculiarly adapted for newspaper purposes wherein the two, three, or more colors used, as the case may be, are caused to produce a great number of extra tints and delicate shades of predetermined intensity so'that, for example, where two colors are to be used, such as black and orange, the final picture will appear with five or six colors, varying from a strong orange to light flesh pink, including dark brown, light brown and a bluish tint.

A further primary object is to do this with the utmost speed in the art departments and in the mechanical departments, (that is the photographing or half-tone producing room, the zinc plate printing and etching rooms).

In attaining these ends, I utilize the dots of the half-tone screen in producing the extra colored tints and eliminate the work of the artist altogether or reduce his work to the minimum the artists attention being given where some special decorative features are wished for. In other words, I attain (ill the delicate tints mechanically by the rela tive size of the dots of the half-tone screen instead of by the hand work of the artist.

More particularly, my process is as follows: F or purposes of illustration, it will be supposed that two colors are to be used, for example black and orange, in printing the photograph. The photograph is then used 'to make a half-tone negative in the ordinary Way as in all half-tone work. The half-tone plate is then gummed in order to prepare the negative for removal to a heavier glass background. In removing the film, the negative is reversed so as to make the same read positively or directly, justas it would appear in the paper. Next, two prints are made upon a zinc sensitized plate. For the black, or what may be called a key plate, the background is opaqued out directly on the negative. For the second metal or zinc print, or what may be called the orange plate, the screen effect for high lights is opaqued out on the said negative, that is all portions not to be colored orange in any degree whatever are opaqued out, the negative having been washed clean of all opaquing for the first plate before the opaquing is applied for the orange plate; The prints are then in part made ready for the etching process by thoroughly inking and powdering them. However, before etching, all portions of the orange plate which are to appear as a solid orange color are painted in with printers ink or the like. Thereupon the plates as respects the portions so painted in are powdered and then etched.

Upon printing, it will be found that a great number of extra tints will be made by,

the superimposing of the two colors, one upon the other. These colors will serve to produce light flesh tints in the face, where the high lights appear, and dark brown tints in the darker portions of the picture, or even jet black. Moreover, such portions of the pirture which receive no orange color ing, that is such portions as are really halftone or gray, seem to have a bluish tinge when seen in connection with the rest of the colors. The exact explanation. of this is not known, and possibly may be simply an optical illusion but nevertheless present, and constitutes one additional tint without specially printing therefor.

Thus, my new process reproduces in colored tints the many fine difierences of light and shade of the photograph with an exactness of refinement not heretofore obtainable when only printing with two colors. Tt is precisely these numerous and delicate shadings that constitute the real worth of the photograph, since by such means are the most subtle of feelings revealed and depicted. The artistic reproduction of the,

photograph forms one of the important avenues for developing good will for a publication. It is a marked trait of human nature to particularly resent a reproduction of ones own photograph that does not'equal or better the photograph. Hence, the photograph presents for all these reasons a unique and important problem in newspaperart craft. While more than two colors may be used with my pocess, such use increases the opaquing and painting in work, thereby entailing a loss of speed without a compensating advantage in the final effect.

I claim 1. The process of making engravers plates for reproducing photographs in colors in newspapers by making a half-tone negative of said photographs and drawings through a screen, gumming said negative for removal to a heavier glass background, removing and reversing said negative so as to make the same read positively upon the heavier glass background, making a print on a sensitized zinc plate or the like directly from said negative for each color to appear by opaquing out on the negative for each of said plates as follows: for the black or key plate such portions of the picture and background as are to appear without any black screen effect whatever, removing all of said opaquing and re-opaquing said half-tone negative successively for each of the colored plates by opaquing out all portions of the picture and background which are not to have any color whatever of that respective print, painting in directly on the Zinc surface all portions of each colored print which are to appear finally as a solid color of that respective print or combination of that respective print and other colors, and etching the plates in the usual manner.

2. The process of making plates for printing, comprising making a half tone nega tive, opaquing out on the negative such portions thereof as are to appear without any half tone effect, making a plate from said negative, removing said opaquing and then reopaquing the negative on other por tions which are to appear without any half tone effect, then making another plate from said negative, and then etching the plates, whereby when printed from the plates in different colors the colors will be superposed on the portions having the half tone effect.

3. The process as claimed in claim 2, with the addition that all portions of the second mentioned plate which are to appearas a solid color are painted before the plate is etched.

In witness whereof. I hereunto subscribe my name this 17th day of October A. D., 1919.

CLARENCE B. BLETHEN. 

